From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Hewson, 7 September 1783

To Mary Hewson

ALS: Yale University Library

Passy, Sept. 7. 1783

My dear Friend,

I received your kind Letter of the 9th past.4 I am glad that the little Books are pleasing to
you and your Children, and that the Children improve by them. I send you herewith some
more of them.5 My Grandson Bache has been
four Years at School at Geneva; and is but lately come home to me here. I find Reason to
be satisfied with the Improvement he has made in his Learning. He translates common
Latin readily into French: but his English has suffer’d for want of Use; tho’ I think he
would readily recover it if he were a while at your School at Cheam, and at the same
time be going on with his Latin and Greek. You were once so kind as to offer to take him
under your Care; would that be still convenient to you?6 He is docile and of gentle Manners, ready to
receive and follow good Advice, and will set no bad Example to your other Children. He gains every day upon my Affections.

I long much to see you & yours, and my other Friends in England, but I have not yet
determin’d on the Journey. Our definitive Treaty of Peace,
being now sign’d, I have indeed less to confine me here, & might make a short
Excursion without much Inconvenience: but short Days & Winter are coming on, and I
think I can hardly undertake such an Expedition before the Spring of next Year.

With regard to the future Establishment of your Children, which you say you want to
consult me about, I am still of Opinion that America will afford you more Chances of
doing it well than England. All the means of good Education are plenty there, the
general Manners more simple & pure, Temptations to Vice and Folly fewer, the Profits
of Industry in Business as great and sure as in England; and there is one Advantage more
which your Command of Money will give you there, I mean the laying out a Part of your
Fortune in new Land, now to be had extreamly cheap, but which must be increas’d
immensely in Value before your Children come of Age, by the rapid Population of the
Country. If you should arrive there while I live, you know you may depend on every
Assistance in my Power to afford you, and I think my Children will have a Pleasure too
in serving their Father’s Friend. I do not offer it as a Motive that you will be much
esteem’d and respected there, for that you are & must be every where; but give me
leave to flatter myself that my being made happier in my last Years by your
Neighbourhood and Society, may be some Inducement to you.

I forwarded your Letter to Mr. Williams. Temple is always with me, being my Secretary.
He presents his Respects to you. I have been lately ill with a Fit of the Gout, if that
may indeed be called a Disease; I rather suspect it to be a Remedy; since I always find
my Health & Vigour of Mind improv’d after the Fit is over. I am ever, my dear
Friend, Yours most affectionately,

B Franklin

PS. You say you are a little
afraid that our Country is spoiled. Parts of it have indeed suffered by the War, those
situated near the Sea; but the Body of the Country has not been much hurt; and the
Fertility of our Soil, with the Industry of our People, now that the Commerce of all
the World is open to us, will soon repair the Damages receiv’d, and introduce that
Prosperity which we hope Providence intends for us, since it
has so remarkably favour’d our Revolution.

More between these correspondents

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